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agewisdom

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  1. agewisdom
    Sure, this makes good common sense. If your quest is something trivial, I don't think it would be hardly mentioned at all. In the beginning, you might start by reading about the feats of other adventurers and say... "I wish I could do something like that".... A couple of years later (in-game), hey... you find yourself on the front page for doing something heroic/villanous. It might give you a glowing sense of accomplishment.
  2. agewisdom
    Heh... those are just ideas being bandied around. Not even a smidgen? Hard to avoid gossip... even in a medieval setting... My own thoughts would be to start of things very subtly. However, near the end of the game, if the PC and his companions have performed quite a number of heroic/villainous deeds, then perhaps there would be more detailed coverage. I believe this would make more sense. And the media coverage could cover other news: 1. On mysterious happenings - which could lead to other quests... 2. On rival adventuring groups - so you could follow their exploits and rise to power...
  3. agewisdom
    Yes, this is what I'm thinking. However, taking the good route should be ardous and if they are any good or indirect rewards later... it should be very much later in the game, so that the player can't quit and reload.
  4. agewisdom
    Exactly, it gives the player a feeling of reactivity in the world. The news doesn't need to be as obnoxious as Big Dog in Fallout 3. It could be subtle such as: 1. Direct Entry into certain Guilds For instance, if your reputation precedes you (i.e. successfully undertaken some major quest) - you may be allowed direct entry into certain guilds. Otherwise, they'll still require you to perform certain tasks before allowing you membership. 2. Vendor Discounts If you saved the city or helped solve some serious crimes in the merchants area, your fame may allow you better discounts in other nearby areas. Something to the above effect. Newspapers and town criers are just more simpler examples on how to go about this. I just don't want see the effects of my actions and quests to be quantified only at the END of the game via slides... There's nothing wrong with this, but it would be ideal if I were to see some of the impact of my actions during gameplay.
  5. agewisdom
    That's the hazard of being a heroic/villainous character. You're news man... and they have to slot you into their pre-conceived stereotypes.
  6. agewisdom
    Good feedback humanoid. What would be even better would be if a rival faction tries to "spin" the story, so that you appear to be some violent group of reckless vigilantes....
  7. agewisdom
    Dear Sanguine Angel, The perils of written communication... I agree with your thoughtful post. You explained this more eloquently than me. Even better is your thoughtful comment on keeping track of the PC's responses throughout the entire game. If the PC plays a selfless character, then both he and his world change accordingly. Certain factions and companions may treat him better due to their affinity whilst others may be more hostile. However, not sure whether this could be easily implemented or not. *** When I said the consequences should be CLEARLY spelt out, I meant in terms of the repercussions of the PC's actions. We're both in agreement here. Using my above example of entering an infected village, the consequence should be clearly spelt out in terms: 1. You're entering a highly risky area with a very real threat of infection; 2. The consequences could be injury, loss of constitution, disfigurement or even death.... However, in terms of actual statistics or outcome - such as -2 to constitution etc... this would not be spelt out... So long as in your own words "consequences must always make logical sense, so that we can be satisfied as an audience and as a player with our decision", it should be good enough. What is needed is a balance between a fair warning and subtlety. For some gamers, they may be very UPSET that there's negative consequences especially when we're always so used to having good outcomes for good actions.
  8. agewisdom
    Maybe it could be part of a set of Kickstarter stretch goal? For those who want it, please speak out. If it's a budget problem, then perhaps it could be limited to: 1. Major quest lines 2. Side quests where the PC can be either very good or nasty. I.e. quests which poses serious ethical dilemmas. There doesn't need to be extensive reporting on the PC's actions but just enough to let us feel that we have an impact in the world.
  9. agewisdom
    I read in an interview that one of the least appreciated feature in Arcanum was the newspaper which chronicled the PC's actions. I would love if this feature would be available in Project Eternity. My own experience with this was via the Big Dog's radio station in Fallout 3. Hearing news over the radio about the implications of your actions was just great! Depending on the world that Obsidian crafts, this feature could implemented in various ways: 1. Reading about it in current tomes etc. 2. Hearing your feats whilst chatting up the Innkeeper 3. Hearing minstrels sing about your feats in particular major questlines. What do you think? Is Tim Cain right in that no one even reads the newspapers or would you love to see it implemented in Project Eternity? I know a lot of people think he's wrong, but action speaks louder... so speak out if you appreciated this feature in Arcanum and want it in Project Eternity.
  10. agewisdom
    Yes, I think your feedback captures the mood of gamers accurately. We all just want to wind down and enjoy a good cRPG without being reminded of "Real Life" . Definitely agree that it should be used sparingly and the possible consequences be CLEARLY spelled out. If possible, the PC's companions should voice out their reservations. Still, it would be nice for us players to be surprised that... hey choosing the Good/Right actions doesn't ALWAYS turn out for the best, ALL the time... At least it makes the players pause a bit before making his/her decision.
  11. agewisdom
    One common bug-bear of mine in PC games (not just cRPGs) is how picking the Good/Correct options always leads to good rewards. Sometimes, the reward in terms of XP or loot is even better than that where one takes the selfish/evil route. Is it possible for certain quests (where it makes sense and fits in with the lore), where choosing the Good/Correct action leads to significant loss to the PC. Good actions are supposed to be selfless ones where the PC makes great personal sacrifices for the common/greater good. However, most fantasy games/novels don't really reflect the gravity of such actions or sacrifices. An example: A number of villagers in a remote village has be afflicted by a strange illness. No one knows its' method of transmission. All they know is that it causes a painful death in a few days. These villagers have been quarantined and are awaiting death. There are a a few that have survived the disease but they are terribly weakened by the disease. One of them is the doctor at the outskirt of the quarrantine area. After talking to him, the PC discovers that there is a possible cure but he must risk his own life to enter the village as the cure requires a sample of boils on the villagers. Doing this noble task should (realistically): 1. Increase one's fame (slightly) and strengthen one's soul; but... 2. Such a selfless act is not without its' consequences. Depending on the PC's resistance and constitution a random roll can be made. Effects could include: (a) Permanent loss of constitution as the PC is sickly for a large duration of the game; (b) Temporary loss of constituion but PC recovers slowely over the course of the game; © Permanent loss of charisma as the PC is disfigured whilst fighting of the disease... The main idea is for the Good/Correct choice to carry some adverse consequences. Just like in real life, being selfless and noble may be good for everyone else, it may not be the best choice for the PC. The PC's companions should also weigh in on his decision. Would they follow him into the village or sit this one out?
  12. agewisdom
    I think if the race or quest is set up properly: 1. You see warning signs such as dead entrails near the entrance to the village; 2. Or other NPCs warning you to stay away from the area due to the race being very territorial. Then you should either stay away or approach without equipping any weapons. If you go in fully armed into another race's territory, why shouldn't they either intimidate you and failing that attack you? Even if they attack you first, can you blame then for defending their territory against aggressive armed invaders? By the way, maybe I've played too many ARPGs recently... but your example on the Pools of Radiance is definitely something I like to see in modern CRPGs.
  13. agewisdom
    Have you ever found a situation where you are and fellow villagers are happily farming and chillaxing, having a couple of beers. Suddenly out of the blue, you see some six heavily armed strangers wielding all sorts of weapons and strange magics. You shout and yell to them, "Hey this is our territory - go bugger off!" but they don't listen... they just trudge on and trample over your nice farm. They even have the temerity to pick some of your best apples and eat them right in front of you. Even worst, they start invading your neighbours house by smashing down the doors or lockpicking. They then raid and loot all your valuables, chests and gold. How the heck are you going to stand by there and do nothing? When you ask them to stop, they don't seem to understand. Brandishing your clubs, you try to intimidate them to stop, but nah... they're not impressed and start their wholesale slaughter... Before you know it, your entire village is in burning and in ruins and you're lying down in a pool of your own blood. Before you pass out, the only two phrases you hear from these savages sound vaguely like .... "We're heroes..." Just because we're ogres/trolls/non-humanoids, what rights do these people have to kill us and take our valuables? *** Yep, this idea germinated from the fact that after playing countless CRPGs, I'm never quite happy with the fact that the PC usually invades other non-humanoid lands and start killing without even stopping to question as to what rights do they have to do so. So, could we have a quest line where we meet a race that is very isolated alongst these lines. If the PC acts diplomatically, he can avoid conflict but can't communicate unless he spends some time with them. If he or his companion has some linguistic skills, then he can communicate with them. If however, the PC ignores the non-humanoids and starts rifling through the posessions of the non-humanoid species, this will invite reprisals as they try to defend their land and possessions. Fighting and killing these non-humanoids could have very adverse consequences such as starting potential deadly conflict between this species and the known civilization... The PC may then have to atone for his atrocities and try to act as a ambassador to quell the conflict.
  14. agewisdom
    Yep, no beating him again and again like a Saturday morning cartoon. More like: 1. Meet up during certain quests where you can either co-operate or compete. Competing is more of a friendly sort, with some discussion and debate thrown in. 2. If things turn ugly, it's more like a battle of wits where he tries to foils you and your faction. If he succeeds, e.g. influencing a powerful leader to support his faction, then you and your faction lose influence and/or fame. 3. There is no necessity for a big, bad fight unless the PC wants things to turn ugly. The NPC is an arch-rival, but not an unreasonable mad-men. If he knows it's not certain he can win in an out-right fight, then let's have an out-right debate in front of the Council or leading Rulers of the day... Something along these lines would be more realistic..., I believe.
  15. agewisdom
    I like this idea but it definitely needs to be tied into a major side quest. Perhaps whichever weapon the PC chooses to create is somehow infused with the souls or some life form. This could be a sentient weapon that somehow fuses with the PC. Whenever the PC levels up, the relationship/bond between them allows the weapon to be levelled up as well. To make it a double edged sword, there could be a risk that the weapon could turn on its' wielder, if it strongly disagrees with the actions taken by the PC. Of course, this might require some careful balancing. At the same time, there's a risk of making all other potential weapons redundant.
  16. agewisdom
    An intriguing quest, indeed
  17. agewisdom
    Yep, the Witcher 1's quest was pretty well planned. You really had to read the journals and pay careful attention to make sure you made the right decisions. That's exactly the type of investigation quests that I'm looking for
  18. agewisdom
    Yeah, that could be a better way of going about it :D
  19. agewisdom
    Definitely hate the labelling of NPCs as evil cultists etc... this is not an ARPG. Besides, as I have reiterated - the evil cult investigation is an EXAMPLE of the type of investigative quests that could be incorporated into the Eternity Project. There is no need to use this if Obsidian finds it to cliche.... We could have other types of investigative quests leading to political rivalries, esponiage and the ilk.
  20. agewisdom
    I see that the word "Cult" has raised quite a few misconception. Some of you are thinking this is a typical bwa-ha-ha, I am a member of an evil Cult that is wanted by the authorities and hated by everybody. The Cult based on my idea is more or less like a secretive religious organization that does a lot of good work on the surface. If it's based on such a scenario, your decision is going straight into the Cult HQ and start massacring their followers will have grave repercussions. What's your justification? Without any investigation, you are just going to start killing old men, women, children also just because they happen to be in the Cult HQ? Perhaps, let me change the Cult HQ to say, a Learning Centre or a Temple. Are you going to kill them just because they happen to have different beliefs? I think the authorities will also come after you if you do anything like that.
  21. agewisdom
    1. Only if you could find their hidden HQ in the first place. Unless you're going undercover or spy on them, how are you going to do that? They wouldn't announce this.... 2. You'd be surprised how easily cults can mushroom again given the right conditions. If there's a trodden underclass, a charismatic evil NPC can easily recruit large numbers provided he has cash and influence. Anyways, the cult is just an example. There could be a lot of different other cases that Obsidian can use.
  22. agewisdom
    As long as there's sufficient and proper interaction with the rival groups/enemies, it would be fine. I just want rivals/enemies that are alive and have their own opinions as to how about going on things. I want to feel that hey, these are fellow adventurers just like me. Just because they go about a different way of doing things, is it really alright for me to kill them just because they're standing in my way?
  23. agewisdom
    Metabot - yeah... the hard part is in designing a well thought out quest... Darth Trethon - about going straight and eliminating the cult in a big battle... Well, firstly, cults are by their very nature secretive... I'd very much doubt they'll going about shouting... here I am, a cultist - come and eliminate me.... Hmm... actually a lot of CRPGs are like that - which is just wrong! Secondly, even if you eliminate the cult HQ, what makes you think you've really discovered the inner circle or heads of the cult? Without proper investigation, going in and attacking people is going to land you into a hot soup, esp. if the Cultist Leaders are powerful, influential and politically connected people. Curryinahurry - Yep, it's just a simple example ... quite generic I know. But you know what, we could always turn the stereotypes on its' head... What if you find out that the Cultist are a shade of grey and you actually agree with some of their actions. And then find out that the faction that's hunting them is really the ones that's in the wrong? You may decide to side with the Cultist and eliminate the faction that's hiring you instead.... These are just ideas but I'd really like some investigation style quests where you don't quite know what's going on... and get a feeling of trepidation as you progress further into the case.
  24. agewisdom
    ohmygodsquad, There doesn't always need to be combat in the cult. The inner circle may require direct combat but most of the followers and people on the fringe wouldn't need killing. They are just misled... A really devious PC could use this to his advantage and milk the followers for oh... just about anything, power, money, s*x, etc.... Exactly, the cult investigation is just an example. There could be many other types of investigations, just think of the X-Files or Templars...
  25. agewisdom
    If I remember correctly, BG2 has a small quest requiring investigation on some murder cases. In order to have more interesting quests, could we have something like this. There could be a series of preliminary small quests given by a guild or gathering of detectives. Undertaking these quests could improve one's awareness and detective skills. After undertaking a series of smaller quests, the PC could stumble onto the main quest. This could be an overarching plot, such a a secret clut ala Cthulhu that is trying to revive their Dead God by performing a series of macabre rituals through certain locations empowered by lay-lines (i.e. magically empowered locations). The local authorities in each of these regions are stumped as they are working individually. Throughout his adventures, the PC will stumble onto the aftermath of these bizzare rituals. If he is intelligent enough or has a companion who is, he will detect similarities between each of these rituals. E.g. the murder victims were killed the same type of weapon, death occured during full moon etc. This may set him off to investigate the individuals in town and uncover the conspiracy taking place amongst the cultist. The finale may involve the PC either: 1. Exposing and eliminating the cult 2. Threatening the cult and obtain bribes to keep his mouth shut. 3. Joining the cult and fusing his soul with the Elder God for awesome powers in the current gameplay, at the cost of permanently damning his soul...
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